The world’s most expensive personalised number plates

What are the most expensive personalised number plates?

Many drivers take great pride in their car's number plate. 

While the '25' registrations are making way for the '75' plates in September, there's another way to make your vehicle truly stand out from the crowd – personalised plates.

From spelling out names to creating cheeky phrases, personalised number plates can add character to any vehicle. 

We'd personally love something a bit silly – SAU549E (Sausage) or I4MLAT3 (I am late) would both be stellar choices.

But at the very top end of the market, the most exclusive number plates attract truly extortionate prices, becoming some of the most expensive vehicular accessories in the world.

So buckle up and join us as we cruise through the world's most expensive personalised number plates. 

You might want to check your bank balance first, though – these prices aren't for the faint-hearted.

In the UK

'25 O'

This used to be the UK's most pricey plate, now proudly worn by a Ferrari 250SWB belonging to John Collins.

This plate cost a not-too-shabby £518,000 back in 2014, largely due to its desirability among Ferrari owners and collectors..

'JB 1'

Sold in July 2025 for an astounding £608,600 at Bonhams' Goodwood Festival of Speed auction.

This historic plate has overtaken '25 O' to become the most expensive private plate ever sold publicly in British history.

The JB 1 plate's impressive value comes from its unmatched provenance – it once adorned the personal cars of Jack Barclay, a WWI veteran and record-setting driver who founded London's iconic Jack Barclay Bentley dealership.

Period photographs show JB 1 affixed to a series of Bentleys and Rolls-Royces throughout Barclay's career, making it one of the most historically documented private plates in circulation.

That rich history played a major role in the record-breaking sale, pushing it past other high-value UK plates like 'X 1' (£502,676 in 2012) and 'G 1' (£500,126 in 2011).

‘X 1’

X 1 sold for an impressive £502,500 at auction in November 2012.

Currently, the plate appears to be attached to a relatively recent Mercedes CLA, according to vehicle records. Experts suggest that if ‘X 1’ were to come up for sale today, it could potentially break the seven-figure barrier.

Could it tickle the fancy of a BMW X1 owner?

'G 1'

Another jaw-dropping plate that once held the UK price record is G 1, which fetched a cool £500,000 back in September 2011.

If the owner decided to part with G 1 today, they could be looking at more than doubling their money. Not a bad return for a car accessory, right?

While it's not currently zooming around on the roads, this prestigious plate has previously been spotted on some rather nice Audi and Mercedes-Benz models over the years.

We can only imagine what car it might end up on next – perhaps a Bentley or a Rolls?

'F1'

Probably the most obvious choice for petrol heads, the F1 plate sold for £440,000 to Bradford-based enthusiast Afzal Khan in 2008.

Which begs the question, what car did he attach it to? Because a rusty old Reliant Robin might not quite live up to the name...

'S1'

Originally the cherished plate of Sir John HA MacDonald, Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland from 1888 to 1919, S1 was the first ever registration plate to be purchased in Scotland in 1903.

In 2008, it was bought by an unknown buyer for a cool £404,000.

In the world

'1'

Sold in 2008 for an absolutely astounding £7.25 million.

The plate was snapped up in Abu Dhabi by one Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, who agreed to pay the handsome sum because, apparently, 1 is the best number.

Each to their own.

‘P7’

Known as one of the most lavish and luxury-based cities in the world, Dubai holds the number one spot for the world's most expensive number plates.

The Dubai number plate P 7 sold for a staggering AED 55 Million (£12 million) at a charity auction.

When it comes to eye-watering number plate prices, the UK can't quite compete with this level of extravagance.

'AA 9'

The number 2 spot for world's most expensive plate goes to 'AA 9', selling for a whopping 38 million AED (about £7.5 million) at a Dubai charity auction in 2021.

The buyer chose to remain anonymous.

'D 5'

In 2016, Indian billionaire Balwinder Sahni paid an eye-watering 33 million AED (roughly £6.6 million) for the Dubai plate 'D 5'.

When asked by the press "why?", Sahni had a surprisingly simple explanation: his lucky number is 9. You see, D is the fourth letter of the alphabet, add that to 5 and you get 9.

We're not sure we'd spend millions based on that logic, but then again, we're sadly not billionaires.

'O 9'

Balwinder Sahni makes yet another appearance on our list, having secured the plate "O 9" (yes, his lucky number again) in 2015 for 24.5 million AED (£4.4 million).

When you're that wealthy, why not collect plates featuring your lucky number? It certainly beats collecting stamps.

'5'

Talal Ali Mohammed Khouri originally broke the record for the world's most expensive plate in 2007. The single-digit plate '5' was sold for a hefty 25.2 million AED (£3.5 million).

At the time, Khouri also spent £800,000 on a plate with the registration '55'. When asked why he wanted those particular numbers, he casually replied that the numbers had "absolutely no significance whatsoever" to him.

Now that's what you call a flex.

'7'

The '7' plate sold for 16.8 million AED (£3 million) in Abu Dhabi in 2010.

Then again it fetched 13.4 million AED (£2.96 million) in 2016, also in Abu Dhabi.

Seems like 7 really is lucky – at least for the sellers.

'9'

Similar to the number 7, the '9' registration was purchased twice for astronomical sums. Once in 2008 for 15.4 million AED (£2.15 million) in Abu Dhabi, and then again in 2010 for 10 million AED.

With that kind of money, you could lease a new car every month for the rest of your life – and still have change left over.

'28'

Breaking the UAE's dominance, this plate sold in Hong Kong for 18.1 million Hong Kong dollars in 2016 (around £1.6 million).

The number 28 is particularly valuable in Hong Kong because it sounds like the Cantonese words for "easy" and "to prosper" – believed to bring good fortune to the owner.

'NSW 4'

Chinese-Australian billionaire Peter Tseng broke records down under in 2017 when he purchased an 'NSW 4' number plate for 2.45 million Australian dollars (about £1.5 million).

Tseng is apparently a big name in the rare plate collecting world. He's also a wine enthusiast and, interestingly, an adult toy manufacturer.

Talk about diverse business interests.

Number plates as investments?

While most of us might balk at spending more on a number plate than the car itself, these prestigious plates often appreciate in value over time – sometimes outperforming traditional investments.

The simple plate '25 O' that sold for £518,000 would likely fetch substantially more if sold today.

For the ultra-wealthy, these unique plates represent not just status symbols, but potentially shrewd investments. For the rest of us, there are plenty of affordable options that can add a personal touch to our vehicles without breaking the bank.

Whether you're driving your new lease car with its factory-fresh plate or sporting something more personal, a distinctive registration is just one way to make your mark on the road.

Though we must admit, having "I4MLAT3" on your car would make running behind schedule slightly more amusing.